Baby Orangutan Born in Captivity
A Sumatran orangutan (Pongo abelii) was recently born at the Janto Orangutan Reintroduction Center in Jantho Natural Reserve, Aceh Besar regency, Aceh The post release monitoring team at the Ekosistem Lestari Foundation (YEL) Sumatran Orangutan Conservation Program (SOCP) confirmed the birth from a mother orangutan na
med Bulan, which was a rehabilitated orangutan living in the wildlife since 2018. Confirmed on May 22, the monitoring team found Bulan to be actively moving in treetops while carrying her baby and showing protective behavior. The male baby was also always clinging to its mother, estimated to be 1-month-old and in healthy condition. Badar’s presence is expected to be a new hope for the sustainable population of orangutans in the wild. Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni named the baby orangutan Badar, which means “full moon” in Arabic. “This birth is evidence that through consistent habitat protection, we can restore the population of endemic animals threatened by extinction,” he said in a press release issued by the Forestry Ministry on Wednesday. “Hopefully Badar can grow healthily in the wild and bring new hope for our priceless forest ecosystem.”
Elusive Parrot Discovered
For the past century, the Blue-fronted Lorikeet was one of Indonesia’s most elusive birds, known only from a 2014 photographic record and a handful of museum specimens, with a lingering hope that it had not vanished. After days of climbing through sharp limestone, biting insects and difficult mountain terrain, a flash of green feathers high on Buru’s highest peak showed that this dazzlingly colorful parrot was still there. An Indonesian mountaineering group photographed the bird for the first time in 12 years and captured the first sound recordings of its high-pitch
ed calls – sounds birds often use to keep contact in the forest canopy. The team was looking specifically for this species, but the odds felt slim. “When you are looking for a bird that has only been documented once in the past century it feels like a long shot,” said John Mittermeier, director of the Search for Lost Birds at the American Bird Conservancy conservation group.